Here's What's Inside The Insanely Rare Nintendo 64DD

The Nintendo 64DD was an attachment designed to allow the Nintendo 64 console to go online, use a magnetic disk based storage medium and add extra value to games through expansions. This was a product that was in development for most of the system's life finally releasing towards the end and only in Japan for a little over a year. Since then the 64DD has become extremely rare and a center piece for many people's collections. Today we'll take a look at the attachment and also take it apart.
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[@UnrivaledPiercer]

Something to consider would be also that in the same way that F-Zero had the expansion disk, new games could have been released with a cartridge AND a disk together. The cartridge could store 32MB of data that the game may need to rapidly access, and the disk could store the other 64MB of data that the game would access less often. Essentially making a 96MB hybrid game using both the disk and the cartridge simultaneously. Similarly to how the Sega Genesis used the 32X and Sega CD together in some games. I think Nintendo if they had done it could have actually pulled it off quite well considering how nicely the hardware is designed.

[@camrongraziano1254]

First generation Zip drives came in 100mb and 250mb. So those cart+ cassette would be more like 132mb or 282mb. And apparently Zip has access speeds akin to 8x CDs. Would have been insane. 🤯

[@matthewbarrios1028]

I agree. In a way the DD almost should have been the sole console instead of what the 64 was.

[@TheIrkenEmpire420]

Or we should've gotten a 64CD.

[@kevinb5417]

I don't think there are many people who would disagree that it was asinine of Nintendo to have stuck with cartridges during the N64 era. Now, ironically, they've moved over to solid state cartridges that I would gladly take over a disc any day.

[@davidnotonstinnett]

The issue with this is that the 64DD was outdated by the time it actually came out and I doubt we would ever have seen the GameCube or anything afterwards if Nintendo finally released a new console in 1999

[@jasperengelHaveNohope]

@@TheIrkenEmpire420 definitely I understand they wanted to stick to what they knew best and it have the pesky loading screens but it wouldve been the smarter move imagine Mario 64 on a cd would've have alot more content and probably Luigi

[@maroon9273]

@@TheIrkenEmpire420 or magnetic optical disc

[@The_Wandering_Nerd]

You got to admit, the 64DD does a console addon pretty well. It snaps right on the bottom and blends right in with the design, unlike Sega's Genesis addons with their huge masses of cables and plugs and attachments, the Turbo CD with its collection of multiple different system cards, and even the Gameboy player that needs a separate mandatory boot disc inserted into the Gamecube without which it won't run and that's usually the first thing you lose

[@JessicaFEREM]

the expansion port has all the functionality of the top cartridge port, so it's basically like the Gameboy slot on a DS set to auto-boot mode. the top cart takes precedence over the bottom port, unless the game calls for the expansion port. the bung doctor v64 only used the top port as an easy way to get ahold of the CIC lockout chip, otherwise it could be self-contained.

[@will_it_work]

A major advantage of the 64DD was the ability to write and save large amounts of data compared to the anemic memory packs of the time Surprised you didn't mention that!

[@water_king1]

It just sucks the N64DD flopped, it looked like a very interesting concept.

[@fattiger6957]

With how expensive regular N64 games were, I bet DD games were super pricey. It just didn't seem like a good idea against super cheap to produce CDs.

[@thisithis]

It only flopped in Japan. N64 was just never released in any other country including the US. To me, I only see it as Nintendo overreacting. We'll never know if it would be successful in the US or not. It's happened before where some Products are a failure in Japan but successful in other countries. As PS, Zip Drive where successful long after CD drive came out. It is until faster Read and writes CD drives were made that Zip Drives went downhill. I just rolled my eyes when I heard him say that CD Drives in General killed Zip Drives.

[@fattiger6957]

@@thisithis Based off my memory, CD burners didn't really become affordable until 1998 or so. With how much cheaper it is to produce CDs, zip disks were destined to fail as soon as people could afford CD burners. Plus, I doubt magnetic disks (of a reasonable shape) would have ever exceeded the capacity of a DVD (which DVD burners got cheaper pretty quickly)

[@stevesteve0521]

It should’ve never been released in Japan. Japan was already in love with the Saturn and the PlayStation and the n64 had no chance to succeed there. The n64dd should’ve been a Europe and North American exclusive console

[@DavidLamLi]

@@thisithis it is just an accessory. So, the market is already limited. The appeal is the use of zip drive like disk, which is still more pricey than a CD.

[@juiceala]

“And yes, don’t worry we’ll also take it apart” Phew, you scared me, for a second I thought you were actually gonna use your gaming system for gaming, don’tscare us like that!

[@nickkorte]

Yes!

[@j.cob.]

Hearing you have to explain floppy disks makes me feel old.

[@EbefrenRevo]

But we are old mate.

[@Jaylin7878g]

Michael W. Anyone born in the last 20 years

[@aleksaaleksic4353]

@@Jaylin7878g Untrue. I'm gen z and we have old floppies along with a OLD computer that supports them.

[@doc_sav]

@@Jaylin7878g Interestingly, my kids already knew them at a young age as "that picture from save buttons", and were mildly surprised that it was a real thing when I showed one to them. So I guess the iconography lives on.

[@cubeflinger]

Was about to post something similiar. "something like a meg" SMH..

[@budthecyborg4575]

11:10 "Durable System" One of the things I love most about Nintendo is how they are practically toy makers, I think Shigeru Miyamoto once described his career that way, only what they do is several orders of magnitude more complex than any traditional toy maker. Nonetheless, the focus on making games "Fun" is the reason I still consider Nintendo to be far and away the greatest game company (Developer and Publisher) in the industry.

[@King_Kitsune]

They used to actually be toy makers so it makes sense

[@NipplesTheEnchilada2323]

@@King_Kitsune And before that they were a card manufacturer, and the company is over 100 years old.

[@mielthesquid6536]

They are still toy makers. Amiibo are toys.

[@noahboat580]

Nintendo toys are pretty rad. Like none of the people working for nintendo way back then thought that videogames was their way of making not just money, but a short lived monopoly. There were videogames before nintendo tried the NES, But it was during the time where people dont trust videogames to actually be worth the money to play with

[@junehanabi1756]

I wholeheartedly agree, I'm a huge Nintendo fan and I loved many of their consoles and games. The N64 brings back so many great multiplayer memories in particular. However I feel the quality has dropped. Some games are amazing like Breath of the Wild on the switch, but I feel other games and new games aren't as good. I feel the switch store is just terrible, I feel the hardware quality could be better. I feel issues that come up aren't being taken seriosuly any more. I feel their starting to get complacent and slipping and it really saddens me because they used to have the absolute best QoS which partly made them a household name.

[@ZoneOutCorner]

This video was pure nostalgia curiousity gratification for me. As a kid, I got the 64 when it launched in Australia, and heard about the DD shortly afterward. Always looking forward to its release, I one day realised I had never seen it for sale, and learned of its flop. Now as an adult with a kid of my own, this allows me to get a good look at what games came with, what was inside!!!! and also learned I was truly not alone in my disappointment that it failed. I lived and breathed F-Zero for a few years, I was have loved the editors functions... so much.

[@257SelfmadeSupport]

you show us so much stuff we didnt even know about. im a 90's kid and played so many games on the n64 but never knew about these items. thank you so much!

[@smittyvanjagermanjenson182]

If only it had a bigger launch/positive reception. Online capabilities and dlc expansions pre-2000s could've been so revolutionary!

[@ChaoticMeatballTV]

Man, you really do take apart EVERYTHING! You gotta make it a goal to take apart and look at the inside of every console from the NES onwards, I'm sure there's still quite a few things left!

[@budthecyborg4575]

He did this for a living for quite a while, with a day job like that I have no doubt he has had many dreams of disassembling game consoles, it's pure instinct at this point. It's that former career that makes Spawn Wave a god tier hardcore gamer.

[@AlienFrequency]

Yeah, I don't think he's taken apart a Virtual Boy in a video. That'd be interesting to see.

[@michaelgariti8008]

It's so cute to watch millennials refer back to the NES as what must be "The first console EVER!" It reminds me how tragically old I am.

[@ChaoticMeatballTV]

@@michaelgariti8008 I think I'm a bit too young to be a millennial, since I was born in 2000, but I know that stuff like the Magnavox Odyssey, Atari 2600/5200/7800, Coleco/Intellivision, all of this stuff existed, I've just yet to touch any of it.

[@Bowtie12oclock]

The good days of owning zip disks. I owned three or four of them and looked good next to my stack of multicolored minidiscs.

[@eckomind]

It reminds me of a time when zip disks were supposed to replace the floppy disks. USB sticks replaced both in the end. Good times!

[@NathanaelRibeiro]

doshin the giant came out in europe on gamecube, loved the game and I played it a lot.

[@Schwarzorn]

It's weird that it never got a Virtual Console release. :/

[@icaro740]

jijijiji j

[@noahboat580]

I would probably buy it just for aesthetics. Unless i find a neat way to play it without having to buy a PAL gamecube, idk if its worth it

[@anonymousidea9119]

@@noahboat580 freeloader, xenochip, action replay, save hacks, or you could play it on a Wii

[@zenunderground9893]

It looks like a really cool concept. Kind of a reverse Pikmin. Really makes you think about the past and fables

[@budthecyborg4575]

Nothing was going to stop Square from going to Sony. Yamauchi ran Nintendo like a medieval warlord and third parties were just there to pay tribute.

[@fattiger6957]

Yep, publishers were just waiting for a viable option to drop Nintendo. It didn't help Nintendo that Sony made all the right decisions for the PS1 with CDs and better licensing fees.

[@budthecyborg4575]

@@fattiger6957 I still say the #1 innovation that Sony has brought to the game industry is "Third Party Relations". Ironically those roles seem to have reversed now.

[@Crazy_Gamer_OG]

Yea, Sony got into the business at the perfect time when a new player was needed, too. Nintendo was the money hungry dictator, SEGA was the Doofus King running his kingdom into the ground & Atari was already in ruins. If it weren't for Sony, gaming might have died out or gone into another recession.

[@OhSayWhatIsTruth]

@@fattiger6957 How weren't Sega or NEC able to get Japanese third-parties to work for them, then? They went with CD's too, didn't they? What made Sony succeed in courting these companies to their side and not Nintendo's other competitors?

[@freeloader9000]

@@OhSayWhatIsTruth I know Sega Saturn was abandoned way too fast, so 3rd parties felt going to SEGA being too big a risk should the Dreamcast meet a similar fate...which it did. =.=

[@6Stevo]

I was sooooo looking forward to this being released at the time! I remember reading all about it in Nintendo Official Magazine. The F Zero expansion pack looked like so much fun.

[@Fidelis1776]

Remember when having a Zip drive AND a CDRW drive probably meant you had a "beast" of a machine or a "killer" laptop?

[@z3razerviper]

Yea i hade a scsi zip and scsi jaz drive...

[@stevesstuff1450]

Yeah... I remember those days; a Zip Drive was just SOOO much more impressive than a mere 1.44mb floppy drive! A whole 100mb storage was just nuts back then! And Hard drives were only a few gigabytes at the time!! And then came the CD...750mb storage.... and it killed the Zip Drive stone dead! They were exciting times with PCs....

[@davemustaki134]

I remember watching an episode of South Park at my neighbours house I think it was the beefcake episode with Cartman getting massive but I just thought it was the coolest thing ever at the time here and there I still come across a zip drive I never owned one myself I got an IBM aptiva PC in 1999 that had a DVD player in it my mates loved it lethal weapon 4 was the first DVD I watched on it well enough rambling from me it's just you kinda sent me down memory lane cheers

[@williamdrum9899]

Now most computers can't even play CDs lol

[@stevesstuff1450]

@Clint O'Connell : Not from what I remember of them...Zip disks were just higher density, larger floppy disks that could store a ton more data....

[@Multifacted_Brotha]

I remember reading about the 64DD back in the day and I wanted it because they were working on a Super Mario 64 II for the 64DD... I wonder what the games concept would have been like and how far along they were with it? I'm guessing Mario Sunshine is basically what the Super Mario 64 II would have been.

[@JoshLeitzel]

wasnt Mario 128 planned to be the sequel before it got scrapped?

[@nikanmahdevari6206]

Nah it was a tech demo to show off the GameCubes power for Space World 2000

[@salduchi1785]

The 64DD was pretty much done being developed by early 1997. There has to be another reason why it was not released until December 1999 other than development issues.

[@ArcadeFreak-gw5rp]

I really wish the 64dd worked and we got it here in the USA. I remember as a kid looking at magazines with this in it and going crazy waiting for it to come out here.

[@nocturnalnight]

the effort you go through in making these videos, man. Props to you!

[@rustymiller9555]

Back in the day I couldn’t have bought a 64dd for next to nothing 😢

[@mr.megusta1076]

I remember this thing being hyped up for so long. A new world full of awesome new games like ura zelda was on the making. Then it just went into obscurity, never to be seen again.

[@Dr_Won_Hung_Lo]

I found a Nintendo 64DD at a yard sale for $10. The older people who were having the yard sale said it belonged to their grandson. They had NO idea what they had and the value of it. I bought it as soon as I seen it. Still had the box and all!

[@dawngjertson9731]

Oh god, had the same sort of experience with the ds download station. My mom didn't buy it for me though.

[@josehernandezmartinez8719]

What an incredible find!

[@urmie]

Protip: Launch Google Translate app on your phone, set to JPN->ENG, use camera function, it will auto-translate whats on the screen.

[@WednesdayMan]

I wish we could have this on PC.

[@chrisakaschulbus4903]

@@WednesdayMan i think bluestacks does support webcams... but i'm not really sure

[@nozarashi4329]

It doesn’t do it very well. I’ve tried. Building a track in F Zero Expansion is hell without being able to read, but I did it, though not very well.

[@NonsensicalSpudz]

@@WednesdayMan it does, its called google translate its built into chrome, right click > translate to english etc

[@thelegendtl]

@@NonsensicalSpudz But it doesn’t have picture it’s only text

[@sonartech7721]

I freaking LOVE LOVE LOVE these vids. A little trip down memory lane and then take it apart. AWESOME!!

[@Jakado]

Awesome video, love this. The music at the end made it an even better 10/10 video! 👌

[@ArcaJ]

SpawnWave: The 64 DD is the most rare item in N64 collecting. Also SpawnWave: I'm gonna take it apart! 😲

[@lemagreengreen]

Was definitely a neat device, I of course never saw one at the time. Makes me wonder - maybe this would have been a better choice for the N64 as in maybe it should have been the storage medium instead of the cartridge, these magneto-optical disks could probably go beyond 100MB (ZIP disks went up to 250MB I think) and in this era people were used to/tolerated the loading times of the Playstation... could have opened up a lot more possibilities for the N64 and kept game prices down.

[@randomprimary]

All of your consoles and accessories look pristine, nice work keeping them that way!

[@FernandoHernandez-jw4yy]

When I was in school in the late 90s, a friend of mine had one of these. I was living in Germany, where it was never officially released. He also had the US-version of Goldeneye and used an adapter to play it on his European N64. Apparently using the adapter with the 64DD wasn't possible, so he gave me the US version of Goldeneye and the adapter in exchange for my Europepan version of Goldeneye. Not only did I get an adapter for free, he and his older brother also had managed to beat Goldeneye on all difficulties, so everything was unlocked which I really liked because I was simply unable to beat the game on the harder difficulties back then.

[@ArcturusNox]

Am I the only person to appreciate the fact that Spawn Wave let the Big Blue theme complete its chorus before ending the video?

[@RetroAli]

Oh hell yeah, so hype for this!!!

[@matthewpordes3224]

Much more thorough than other videos on the 64DD. Not just, “wow I found a 64DD!” Great work.

[@Javierjr1224]

4:30 I like the way he maintained eye contact while inserting that thing. 👍

[@anarchond]

I don't think i ever mistreated my playstation discs when i was a kid. I remember always having the cd cases and always putting them back. When i finally got rid of my playstation, all the discs still worked. But i also had friends who did not take care of their.

[@cday131]

There was a time in the early 2000s when I got a zip drive just to be able to move files between computers. It was 100mb. Still have it.

[@williamdrum9899]

Around 2010 or so I realized you can just write an email and attach a file

[@Octolicia]

8:12 : Mario Party 2 was meant to be a 64DD exclusive that used the same method with Mario Party 1 than it's used with F-zero X. There's even some left-over code in Mario Party that gives you the idea that Mario Party 2 was designed as an expansion in mind.

[@JesseAndMike]

Love the videos! This was fun to watch!

[@linkfaris7769]

Well glad to know i am not the only one :)

[@ashtonbowman5077]

You finally did it !! I remember when you hinted at this

[@infamousbird323]

Me too

[@sumomud8560]

When was that?

[@ashtonbowman5077]

Veljko Lilic a long time ago, don’t remember exactly when.

[@audiovectra]

Refurbished GameStop Dreamcast episode reference

[@MOLTEN0]

So what?

[@billy-waynejeffcoat4828]

I kinda wish someone would re-engineer this with a CD drive in it and we could develop for it and try and get ff7 ported to it

[@ItsTommiii]

sounds like too much work for an obscure piece of hardware.

[@vivisect53]

Making it work with a CD drive could likely be done. But porting a game over to it would be a serious undertaking that would likely not be worth the effort. Not that I don't think there someone out there that would try.

[@cellspeed8682]

But why if you have Everdrives?

[@miami2881]

Just tape a PlayStation to your N64 and call it a day

[@repussified]

There's a gotcha that takes more than a CD drive to overcome. PS1 has native hardware to decompress fmvs while N64 has to do it in software. Yes, it was done in RE2 but that game didn't have to constantly mix fmv and normal gameplay like FF7 does so there's a risk of ruining the effect of the no-transition fmvs. In any case the fmv's are guaranteed to suffer a quality downgrade. I don't know if the co-processor on the 64DD would be any help here.

[@phire4694]

Awesome video dude, I love your passion

[@punkydudester3]

Ya take it apart! I always loved Nintendo for their quality & durability.

[@matthewshafer9545]

The 64DD actually had a super limited (even rarer) US release . The only market it didn't appear in was Europe .

[@ekscalybur]

Yeah, I remember seeing one in the store and I stopped dead in my tracks and said "holy shit, they actually released it". It was so late in the N64 lifespan, that it didn't matter. The DD spent years being accused of being vaporware.

[@matthewshafer9545]

@@ekscalybur Yeah, none of the games were North American releases but it wasn't region locked and it had maybe a dozen games released total before Nintendo abruptly killed the project . The only guy I knew with 1 (with English as the system language) only had F-Zero for it but it had a track builder (coolest thing about it) You could create tracks and it was supposed to allow you to upload them online, but Nintendo had already ceased developing for it so the server wasn't up . Still this was 1998 and online gaming was in its infancy,so the attempt at a feature like that blew my mind .

[@LightyKD_]

The 64DD would have been a great mid gen "refresh". To bad it never released in the States.

[@JasonSawyer]

Love these teardowns and inside looks. Is there any console you'd be afraid to take apart?

[@johnnyroche138]

I always wanted the 64DD for the f-zero expansion for the track maker. I didn’t know they had a machine maker too.

[@johnmiller75]

I wonder if it is possible to replace the drive with a CD drive or make a CD drive based clone and perhaps open up easy homebrew as a possibility for the N64

[@philiphardcastle7184]

Search for Doctor V64, it has been done 👍

[@doodoobrn]

They wanted a weird format that kids couldn't copy at home.

[@silverian]

Great info and interesting piece of gaming history!

[@jrmop0965]

I've only ever heard of the N64 DD in magazines. This is cool. Thanks for enlightening this old skool gamer

[@AustynSN]

As much as they'd already planned this, I think they should have just incorporated it into the N64 in place of the cartridge slot from the get-go.

[@maroon9273]

Using a super disk, zip disk, or hifd disk. Or expand the storage of the magnatic disc up to 250 MB and later 750 MB.

[@maroon9273]

@Clint O'Connell I'll I know it is faster tha CD load times.

[@maroon9273]

@Clint O'Connell a little loading time. I know majora mask longest loating times takes upto 8.5 seconds.

[@maroon9273]

@Clint O'Connell I'm talking about majora mask on the 64DD (upto 8.5 seconds loading time). Zip disk is a advanced floppy disk. Like I said it is faster than CD and the same speed as the 64DD.

[@MonadoJoJo]

It sucks the DD failed so bad. This thing was awesome! And I bet it would made the already amazing 64 games even better!

[@syferz]

A Nintendo 64 powered by Zip drive technology would have been pretty great. Zip drives were 8x CD speed, or about 4x the PS1's CD read speed. Capacity started at 100MB, but in 1997 they moved to 250MB and in early 2000s they hit 750MB. Zip discs sold over 300 Million discs across its lifespan, so N64 would have been the biggest use case for the Zip drive, would have likely driven prices down and sped up capacity as well. I think the biggest benefit though is being able to write directly to disc, no need for memory cards and opening up a chance for more gameplay opportunities. 250MB would have also allowed a lot of RPGs to come to the system. Ultimately the N64 was pretty flawed and the launch price of $199 was a lot of the reason for this, had they have gone with a $299 price point like Sony's PS1, they could have offered 8MB out of the box, a Zip drive, and solved some of the architecture issues which were brought about by driving the cost of the system down so far in the first place. I tend to spend a lot of time thinking about what Nintendo could have done in the past, and the big one for me is putting the FX chip inside every SNES, had the SNES had a 3D co-processor that didn't have to disable the system CPU, it could have not only allowed the system to far exceed the master system at the time, but the entire SNES library would have had access to 3D graphics. F-Zero with primitive 3D car models, with "textures" placed on top, and using mode 7 to help with the look of 3D, while giving real 3D features to the track, like the barriers on the sides of the track, could have been a very cool launch game for the system. Also would have been cool to see Square take on some 3D graphics in FF4, 5 and 6.

[@F14Flier7]

I remember reading the Gaming Magazines and being SO EXCITED for this to come to the US... I wanna say that the 64DD was codenamed Project "Dolphin." VERY gutsy taking it ALL apart like this, nice work!

[@nathanmead140]

That name wasn't for this it was for the gamecube (that's what the "DOL" part of the gamecube's model number is for).

[@Killertamagotchi]

N64 Card = up to 50MByte/sec 64DD Disk = up to 1MByte/sec PSX CD (2X Speed Drive) = up to 300KByte/sec

[@fattiger6957]

Exactly. The DD would have had loading time. Not as much as PS1, but way more than N64.

[@Killertamagotchi]

I recommend that you replace the battery but do not simply solder a new one, but best solder a base where you can then use a normal battery. I have e.g. made on my 64DD. Because even if the battery is only for the real-time clock, it doesn't last that long and with such a base you don't have to take the whole 64DD apart to swap it ;-)

[@AttractionSpot]

Locking mechanism was pretty genius so that little kids didn't sticks stuff inside there especially if the game was powered on and they put like scissors or something metal in there you wouldn't want to get shocked. I had a friend in their little brother put a Kit Kat bar inside their NES chocolate everywhere inside there.

[@MARIOGUY789]

Completing the 64DD collection is no easy or inexpensive feat. I SUPER lucked out and finally came across a 64DD and all of the 8 basic software, mouse, modem, capture cartridge, microphone and a regular Japanese N64 and controller included for about $800 on Yahoo Japan Auctions about a year ago .A while after that, I also bought both of the rarest pieces of software, Japan Pro Golf Tour 64 and the Doshin the Giant expansion. Altogether, I’ve spent over $4,000 dollars on this collection alone, not including the American System and games I already owned for years. The only things remaining in the collection I don’t have are the Randnet keyboard, and, of course the original packaging for the system. It’s been one heck of a ride, I definitely would not recommend collecting this stuff if you don’t have deep pockets, the only real way I was able to afford any of this was my credit lines.

[@69metersbelow25]

Can't wait for the ps5 so spawn wave can open it😂

[@mielthesquid6536]

The holy grail of F-Zero X players.

[@figgynewton5664]

It's crazy that all these things that use to be lore, has become just random knowledge everyone knows. I'm not even super fan, I don't even like fzero, but the legends of having the N64 and getting an attachment to unlock secret game stuff was neat, like satteliview for snes. Which bot anyone can go online and try to see what it was like. I wish they put all the DS stuff onto GameCube, and any N64/dd combo into 2 disc.

[@mrguzman4G]

I really do wish Nintendo had gone with the DD zip drive cartridge instead of the regular cartridges from the get go. Given their creativity and the DD's read/write capability in addition to the internal clock, it would have been amazing.

[@mrguzman4G]

@Clint O'Connell No, the read/write speeds on a DD cartridge was way faster but the capacity was not as large as a CD

[@mrguzman4G]

@Clint O'Connell I remember carrying them in my backpack….so if they can survive a teenager’s backpack, I’d say they are military grade durable. Lol I don’t recall the read write speeds, but we’re talking 80s-90s tech here…so what was amazing then is pretty underwhelming today. I just remember using them for Adobe projects and loading files way faster than having to wait for a spinning disc.

[@raven122199]

Omg a 64dd!!! My most wanted video game rarity!

[@jak_1894]

It's good to hear at that time that Nintendo thought about durability with those discs in plastic. I've always preferred cartridges for gaming to discs that scratch easily and even the centre ring hole can develop cracks around it by taking them in and out of their cases. Too cheap.

[@betatalk64]

Spawn Wave: These are really rare and you might have to spend an arm and a leg for one Also Spawn Wave: ALRIGHT LETS STAB IT WITH A SCREWDRIVER!

[@juiceala]

Doshin the Giant was also released in Europe for the Game Cube, officially translated.

[@Dante19883]

I don’t know if it’s just my nostalgia talking, but some of the most satisfying sounds include an n64 cartridge and 64dd discs locking into place

[@qarlox55]

3:49 just in case you didn't look up a translation for this message, it says: "you can't use this disk here. Please insert a correct disk" Great video as always!

[@carpediem7654]

Take a shot every time he says "pop".

[@jake1225]

I love the weekend videos when you do retro stuff

[@producerevan88]

I feel old right now. I was so geek excited about zip disks 🤣🤣🤣

[@jeffguan3786]

Instead of having to buy a separate console of the Switch Pro. Nintendo should make Switch Pro attachment for the original Switch, just like the N64DD with increased ram and external graphics card.

[@adamhines9866]

It could if it was an expansion dock

[@wolffactor56]

It would be nice, but the cpu in the switch is pretty old Arm processor. The system as a whole needs a upgrade for the future.

[@OreoChimp]

Good idea imo but I agree it would have to be a dock at first with the enhancements then they: A. Give developers the choice to do Pro only games for it or if they have just enhancements but will work undocked. B. Make it a reasonable priced item but assure consumers it is not require for all games. I'd say $100 USD is fair C. If it becomes possible later, do a revision of the Switch will Pro features built in down the road. Like how they did the revised Wii Remote Plus or the New Nintendo 3ds

[@jeffguan3786]

Mike UK just let me dream man 😔

[@jeffguan3786]

OreoChimp with the power of USB C, you can put a external gpu in the Switch. Just like laptops that has USB C with an external gpu. It could be a good reason why Nintendo use USB C on the Nintendo Switch.

[@Kev_O3]

Use to have to put my hw on a floppy disk... Am...am I old?

[@travisturner6783]

That depends on which floppy disk your talking about

[@TechWithSean]

Wow very cool man, that would be awesome to have in a collection 👍

[@yugoprowers]

Zip drives that brings back memories. I use to have an external Iomega Zip drive when I was young. It was nice have 100MB disc back then.

[@anumeon]

my girlfriend had two 64DD:s, she got angry whenever i wanted to play with them. She said that they were for display. (Sorry, couldn't help myself there,,, :D)

[@cubeflinger]

she should probably see a doctor

[@JermStone]

64"..... "DAME BOIII SHE THICC!!!"

[@ChazEvansdale]

Nintendo has shot themselves in the foot many times by having small storage options from the N64 on. The Gamecube was a huge blunder, they finally went CD, but cut the disc space significantly with micro discs. The Switch has storage limitations as well as added cost for games, plus the built in storage for the console is so small, but at least we can upgrade it. They don't learn.

[@ThaKid14]

Great presentation, excellent pace and clearly super knowledgeable. Thanks for the mini history lesson! I love little Easter eggs like this. Cheers.

[@ShiggitayMediaProductions]

Jon, we're roughly the same age so I knew about Zip Drives (created by the company Iomega) and all the different kinds of floppy disks you showed in the video. Interesting comparison to the 64DD disks. Very clever. lol. Also you said at the end of the video that Zip disks were "a little bit over 100 MB". That's partially correct. They initially were "Zip 100" disks, but then Iomega created "Zip 250", and "Zip 750" disks and corresponding drives before creating the "Jaz" drive that help a whopping for the time 1 GB and later 2 GB. Man oh man were those Jaz drive cartridges unstable and frickin' DELICATE... omg. One last thing I can compare all these storage mediums to is the Syquest format of storage... I feel old remembering all these pre-CD/DVD-based storage formats. lol. Lastly, I really wish the 64DD had succeeded. I do believe they released what was called "Ura Zelda" which is what became "Zelda 64: The Master Quest" released later on GameCube on the 64DD, and I think it's one of the 5 games you don't have. Lastly lastly, you never showed us how the 64DD allowed the N64 to go online. Is there an Ethernet port on the 64DD? Was there another accessory needed to get online that you don't have there? Does anyone know?

[@TheBugkillah]

Me: Mom! I like 64 double D’s! Can I have them for Christmas, Jennifer has them??? Mom: No, and wait til you dad gets home... I can’t imagine why this didn’t sell. Right after this, Nintendo hired more English Native Language employees.

[@KootenaiKing]

Hello, Spawn Wave, quick question. I am looking to buy a Nintendo 64 in the near future. Do you have a recommended retailer to purchase one from? Much appreciated, and keep up the awesome content.

[@trolling3548]

Man I miss that mechanical rugged feel on old school consoles. I hated the touch sensitive power and eject on the ps4.

[@larrytaylor2692]

In the 64dd video you had playing what is that n64 cart with the audio video ports on back?

[@eatachodeutube]

I believe that was how it would connect online

[@dub2536]

The 64 DD is a device I have never b4 seen and never b4 heard of. It has the near-identical shape of the 3DO. I am disappointed that Nintendo did not release this as an option for the Nintendo 64 to be capable of purchasing the deluxe home system edition including the 64DD for an additional $100, which is similar to how Nintendo originally offered the NES system in 1985 to get the basic console alone, or with the "ROB" the robot thing along with the NES as you could get the more expensive box with ROB for a few dollars more. Great video and I enjoy your content. Peace!

[@diegomireles]

Zip drives and SONY MiniDiscs are so cool, even today.

[@nateno5112]

I remember seeing that thing in the nintendo power magazine and I wanted one.

[@grefsteel3989]

Shouldve been a standalone console. The leap from N64 to Gamecube was HUGE

[@majinnbuu9363]

oh and there is basically a game similar to the giant game on Xbox 360. it's "A Kingdom for Keflings" where you either use a generic character premade or your xbox avatar, they also made "A World of Keflings", you go around (or having the little people) collect things (wood, rock, etc) and then use those to build parts to make buildings it, they also had multiplayer at least in the 2nd one (don't remember if it was in the first one),

[@JonnyBoyUltra161]

9:35 what was that curved cable channel/recess on the top that spans rear to the front used for?

[@jeremyjulkowski4844]

When I think of the N64 HDD, I think back on the niche tech I bought back in the late 90's; some of which I still use today like my Sony Minidisc car stereo deck that still works and gets used in my car weekly even now in 2021.

[@tearyeyesanderson6304]

Thanks for taking the system apart. I've been worried about what the original batter might look like, after being 20 years old. It looks fairly simple to take apart. Sadly I did find that the loading disks would become a problem at times. They snap in fine most of the time, but other times they would go in about halfway then just sort of get stuck, you'd have to pull it out and reset the spring by trying to push it in again. My guess is the spring after a lot of use would eventually break. When changing games, or resting and loading games I worried about it always starting at the same point, and that that part of the disk would start to get worn out. I have a old PC 1995-98 that basically get a error message and try to reformat the disk because it would get error messages. Then at times it would freeze and then have to be restarted and cause even more errors. I worried a lot about that happening while playing Japan Pro Golf Tour, and switching games between Doshin 1, and 2. I never did get a "hole in one" in Golf, because after about 100 times resting and trying the same shot again, I feared that that the disk was would start developing errors. But I still enjoyed the system, and even translated both Doshin games, and the Japan Pro Golf Tour 64 game, so it was a interesting task, and was very interesting to see this explanation of how the machine itself works. I once had to replace the laser on the PS2 and I think that cost about $100, I'd imagine the 64DD magnetic reader would probably be even more expensive, unless it somehow used old Zip drive heads to read the disk.

[@MrVolksbeetle]

The N64 was cartridge based because Nintendo was not satisfied with the anti-piracy of CD-ROMs. Well beyond the limitations of the cart format, the big N was the only source for the cart hardware. Tack on what N charged to produce a cart and publish a game on the system, Square saw it as a hinderance to the game they wanted to make. Sony offered Square a practically unlimited medium to play with. This is well documented and known. Having lived during that time and owning both systems when all this was going down, the CD/Cart was rather hotly contested. I appreciate the insight to what’s going on inside a rare piece of gaming history, most of your information is mostly opinion. You should also know that drive is basically bog standard.

[@Kaplisis]

Nice! Your theory at the end about nintendo using the disk drive for the original N64 sounds like a good idea. I don't know why they went with cartridges when they had this format already planned...64 MB means launch games could of looked similar to late releases like banjo tooie or pkmn stadium 2. It could have helped them sell some million more units

[@meeshkingaming2473]

There was also a zip drive in the makes for the dreamcast too, It was not launched though and the last time a prototype was seen was on Ebay in 2007

[@TearyEyesAnderson]

I find it sad that most people don't actually play the 64DD games, or most of the less common N64 games. I'm still the only player I've seen on KZbin to play through all the courses in "Japan Pro 64", Doshin 1-2, Charlie Blast Territory, and Yakochu II. But sadly my capture card, was so blurry that games like Taz Express and racing games were just a blurry mess so I eventually gave up trying to record them. I'd still love to see someone someday find a password to enter the "Japan Pro Golf 64" Tournament Net section and see what's behind that password screen.

[@Cee_Nelly]

I was stunned to see you with a N64DD and I can't believe you took it apart 🤣😂🤣😂 I definitely would have chickened out on that one.

[@richardm1015]

Amazing it has the same design concept as the Game Cubes Gameboy Advance attachment that connects underneath. This is cool. Nice video. 🎮👍

[@MACMETALFACE]

Cool i have seen a few of these here in Japan when i do my digging. Actually I saw one at the Tennoji flea a few weeks ago. Dude was selling it for ¥500 didn’t know much about it. I might just have yo cop it if i see it around again.

[@Luke4409]

I never realized it was actually just a zip drive, but makes sense since other floppies never had that high of capacities. Almost expected to see an iomega logo somewhere on the drive